Recap 181: What's new this week in mobile gaming?

In this week's recap #181, we take a look at the week's must-have mobile games releases, mobile news and pre-registrations/test phases not to be missed.

Sit back and relax as we round up all the week's mobile games news! On the agenda: the official release of Gran Saga, the announcement of Monster Hunter Outlanders and the Pokémon Company 's pocketful!

Mobile games releases of the week

This week has been rich in release announcements, with many games now available on the stores:

• Scattered Verse is a poetic puzzle-game on the App Store where players complete sentences taken from great literary classics. For $3, immerse yourself in 30 hand-drawn levels.
• Monpic: The Hatchling is a 2D adventure game with an adorable atmosphere on Play Store and App Store. Follow the story of Yuzuki and Pico in a world where humans and monsters coexist.
• Soul Land, the MMORPG features an open-world where you customise your skills with soul rings. Available on Play Store and App Store, the game includes mass battles for up to 400 players.
• Gran Saga is now available on Play Store and App Store. Immerse yourself in a fantasy world full of battles, quests and adorable mounts in this free-to-play game.

Then there's the gacha RPG Ash Echoes, with its impressive chara-design and strategic battles. Available free on Play Store and App Store, the game is struggling to appeal to French-speakers due to a lack of translation. Rovio's new game, Bloom City Match, combines match-3 and gardening on Play Store and App Store. And last but not least, Miniatures, an interactive narrative game available for $3 on the App Store.

Pre-registrations, announcements, updates and test phases

In addition to the recent releases, we have more test announcements and pre-registrations in stock this week:

• Monster Hunter: Outlanders has finally been confirmed. This multiplayer game promises thrilling hunts in vast and varied environments. Registration for the beta is now open.
• Tencent's Kewlbiverse has launched its closed beta in Canada, the Philippines and Oceania. In this colourful fantasy universe, collect creatures called Faeby and explore an open world inspired by Palworld.
• Infinity Nikki, the Infinity dress-up RPG, hits Play Store, App Store and PC on 5 December. With 30 million players already pre-registered, this open-world promises an immersive adventure where outfits play a central role in the gameplay.
• MONGIL: Star Dive, a cross-platform action-RPG, was unveiled at G-STAR. Featuring polished graphics and innovative mechanics, including monsters transformed into rings to boost your heroes, the game will be released in 2025.

NCSOFT announces pre-registration on Play Store and App Store for Journey of Monarch, a medieval fantasy MMO where players take on the role of kings in a world rich in epic battles. At G-STAR, Nexon presented Project Overkill, an intense ARPG based on the Dungeon & Fighter licence.

Next up, Chaos Zero Nightmare unveiled a gameplay trailer and official website for this futuristic RPG set for release in 2025. Based on the famous series, GoT: Kingsroad promises an immersive open-world RPG scheduled for release in 2025. Meanwhile, the open-world adaptation of Seven Deadly Sins continues to impress, with a planned release in 2025.

You can now pre-register on Play Store and App Store for Boxing Star Match 3, a mix of puzzles and boxing in a unique PvP gameplay. For its part, Krafton is teasing Dinkum Together, a game simulating life in the Australian bush, inspired by Animal Crossing.

Skate City, from the Apple Arcade catalogue, returns with a dedicated New York edition on 9 January, while Strinova, a shooter inspired by Valorant, has been announced for release in 2025. And finally, tinyBuild is working on Hello Neighbor 3, a sandbox game combining tension and exploration.

Other news and events from the mobile games industry

The mobile JV industry has other news in store for you this week, notably the card game Pokémon, which is breaking records with 30 million downloads in just one week. However, its aggressive business model and lack of content are drawing criticism.

See you next week for a recap of mobile games news!